Patrick Baudry « AmericaSpace

Of Frogs and Princes: Remembering Shuttle Mission 51G, OTD in 1985

By Ben Evans, on June 17th, 2020

Thirty-five years ago, today, Discovery launched on an international, multi-faceted mission. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty-five years ago today, on 17 June 1985, a spacecraft roared aloft with a crew representing the largest number of nations ever flown into space and carrying the largest load of satellites ever put into space at that time by […]

'The Sultans of Space': 30 Years Since the Multi-Cultural Mission of STS-51G (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on June 14th, 2015

Pictured on Discovery’s aft flight deck, the STS-51G crew featured three discrete sovereign nations for the first time in shuttle history. Front row, from left, are John Creighton, Shannon Lucid, and Dan Brandenstein, with Sultan Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud, Steve Nagel, John Fabian, and Patrick Baudry in the background. Photo Credit: NASA

Thirty years ago, […]

'The Sultans of Space': 30 Years Since the Multi-Cultural Mission of STS-51G (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on June 13th, 2015

By the end of his seven days in space, Sultan Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud had given up looking for his own country, or even his own continent, and came to realize that all humans belonged to just “One World.” It is a message which continues to resonate today. Photo Credit: NASA

Three decades ago, on […]

The Flight That Wasn't: 30 Years Since the Unflown Mission 51E (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on February 21st, 2015

The “core” NASA crew of Mission 41F, scheduled for launch on 9 August 1984 for a seven-day flight. From left to right are Commander Karol “Bo” Bobko, Pilot Don Williams and Mission Specialists Dave Griggs, Rhea Seddon and Jeff Hoffman. Photo Credit: NASA, via Joachim Becker/SpaceFacts.de

Thirty years ago, this week, the shuttle […]

Premier Vol Habité: The Story of France’s First Man in Space (Part 2)

By Ben Evans, on June 30th, 2013

Its descent slowed by a main parachute and its touchdown cushioned by the ignition of solid-fueled rockets, the Soyuz T-6 spacecraft lands safely on 2 July 1982, bringing France’s first spacefarer back to Earth. Photo Credit: SpaceFacts.de/Joachim Becker

More than thirty years have passed since France became the first Western European nation to […]

Premier Vol Habité: The Story of France’s First Man in Space (Part 1)

By Ben Evans, on June 29th, 2013

France’s first man in space, Jean-Loup Chretien, releases a flare during Black Sea training for his June 1982 mission. Photo Credit: SpaceFacts.de/Joachim Becker

More than thirty years have passed since France became the first Western European nation to send a man in space. For almost two decades, the “high ground” […]